Screw-cap for preserving vessels



(No Model.) A

A T. LEE & S. HAZARD.

SCREW GAP FOR PRESERVING'VESSELS.

No. 560,906. Patented May 26, 18 96.

M l DREW B GRAHAM. PHOTO'UMOVWASHIILGTON D C benefited by these improvements.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFF CE.

THOMAS LEE AND SCHUYLER HAZARD, OF HOME CITY, OHIO.

SCREW-CAP FOR PRESERVING VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,906, dated y 1896- Application filed anuary 4,1896. $eria1No.574,3S7. (Nomocleh) To coZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS LEE and SOHUYLER HAZARD, citizens of the United States, and residents of Home City, Hamilton county, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw-Gaps for Preservin g Vessels and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with the reference-numerals marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in screw-caps for closing jars from which it is essential to exclude air in order to preserve their contents. Jars intended for preserving fruit, vegetables, and particularly those employed in family use are to be priracipally t is a well-known fact that a liquid seal is the most efficient means to exclude air, and such seal may be obtained by upsetting the vessel or fruit-jar, after filled and closed, and storing it away in an inverted position-that is, resting on its top or cover. Should there be any defeet in the closure or its joint, causing leakage, such must soon cease by reason of the vacuum arising above the contents, as well as by reason of the influence of the outer air, which soon dries and hardens the slowly-oozing liquid. The jars with screw-caps, as used at present, are, however, not suitable to be used in such a manner that is, resting on their caps, with the latter acting as a supporting-base--and therefore one object of our invention is to construct such vessels, particularly their caps, in a manner to permit them to be used as intended.

The other object of our invention is to adapt the aforesaid construction to a use whereby it forms a convenient medium or wrench to assist the attachment or unscrewing of the caps.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims, is found a full description of our invention, its operation, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows in side elevation an ordinary fruit-jar, usually of glass, the metal screw-cap being provided with our invention. Fig. 2 shows in a perspective view the same jar filled, closed, and placed in the position in which it is to remain While stored. Fig. 3 is a top View of adetached cover provided with our improvement ina slightly-modified form, but intended and used for the purpose described.

In the drawings a so-called Mason jar is shown, which is a glass vessel with a metal screw-cap and very popular. Being a representative type of preserving vessels with screw-caps for fruits, our invention is intended to be applied principally to it. As they are now, their caps 7 are not large enough to provide a substantial and secure base for support in an inverted position, and therefore we extend the top of the same laterally, which is best done by affixing thereto, preferably with solder, metallic projections 8, shown of wire in this case, which reach out in line with the top to a distance which is sufficient to form a firm supporting-base when the vessel is inverted, as shown in Fig. 2. It is obvious that these projections form also a very convenient means for tightening or loosening the screw-cover of the vessel. Especially in the screw-cap of the Mason jar the difficulty of removing them after a time is well known, and in which case these attachments form a wrench which at once overcomes all such objections. To make this latter use more convenient and easier on the hands, preventing also injury to them, the outer ends of projections 8 may be rounded, as shown at 9 in Fig. 3. This combined supporting-base and wrench which assists in. the manipulation of the cover may not only be formed with new caps when manufactured, but it may also be attached to such as are in present use.

Having described our invention, we claim as new- 1. In combination with the screw-cap of a fruit-jar, wires or other metallic projections 8 secured to the top of the same, being all in the same plane to serve as a supporting-base when the fruit-jar is inverted and also assisting the removal of the cap.

2. In combination With the screw-cap of a In testimony whereof We hereunto affix our fruit-jar, metallic Wires or projections 8 sesignatures in presence of tWo witnesses.

cured to the top of the same, having their THOMAS LEE.

outer ends rounded and serving as a means SOHUYLER HAZARD. 5 to manipulate the cover and all being in the Witnesses:

same plane to serve as a supporting-base C. SPENGEL,

when the fruit-jar is inverted. ARTHUR KLINE. 

